Author: rlevchenko

Русская версия/Russian version

Windows Server 2012 R2 provides a lot of updates and improvements to Hyper-V. The most visible change is the new guest service “Hyper-V Guest Service Interface” or just “Guest Services”, which disabled ,by default in the properties of every VM on 2012 R2 Hyper-V.

This service has a really modest functional, but extremely useful. Guest Services allows you to copy the necessary files between the host (server Hyper-V, on which are placed the target VMs = parent partition) and virtual machines (= child partition) without any load on the network components. The copying process is provided by link between Hyper-V host and VM through vmbus (Virtual Machine Bus).
Also, the vmicguestinterface service (from the virtual machine side) responsible for functionality integration service components  on the guest OS level.   Altogether,  we  have got native feature for point-to-point (for example, host 1 VM in the DMZ) or multi-point (host VMs) copying necessary files between Hyper-V partitions

Before using this new feature you have to check:

1) Hyper-V Integration services must be up-to-date. Version has to be at least 6.3.9600.16384.

Get-VM | Select Name, IntegrationServicesVersion

2) Guest Services enabled for target VMs

#Gets current VM configuration
Get-VM|Get-VMIntegrationService|ft VmName,Name,Enabled -AutoSize
#Enabling Guest Service
Get-VM | Enable-VMIntegrationService -Name "Guest Service Interface"

3) vmicguestinterface service must be running inside the guest OS

Get-Service vmicguestinterface

Service management is provided by only one cmdlet  Copy-VMFile ((Microsoft.HyperV.PowerShell.GuestServiceInterfaceComponent) , which has a list of required parameters:

-SourcePath = what we want to copy (UNC is supported!)
-DestinationPath = where we want to save files
-FileSource = file source type
-VMName   = VM names

Example:

#Copies 2012R2.ISO file from file source HOST to VM with name Server 2012R2_1 and saves files to pre-created folder C:\ISO on guest OS
Copy-VMFile "Server2012R2_1" -SourcePath C:\ISO\2012R2.iso -DestinationPath C:\ISO\2012R2.iso -FileSource Host

If you don’t have pre-created destination path – you will get error. To automate process of creation necessary files you have to use -CreateFullPath  parameter that checks and creates folders, if they are not exist.

Copy-VMFile "Server2012R2_1" -SourcePath C:\ISO\2012R2.iso -DestinationPath C:\ISO\2012R2.iso -FileSource Host -CreateFullPath

Process of copying:

Final result:

UNC: